Costa Rica's Innovative Natural Process—Black Soul | How Does Black Soul Coffee Taste

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If it weren't for Costa Rica's honey-processed coffee, FrontStreet Coffee thinks many people might not know that coffee beans need to be processed to become green beans before they can be exported. Even more so, many are unaware that coffee has very professional processing terms: washed, natural, honey process, etc. There's no way around it - coffee is still a niche market in China. Although it has developed rapidly, it's not yet the primary choice!

Costa Ricans say that coffee changed this country, enabling it to enjoy a prosperous environment. Coffee has indeed made outstanding contributions. Today, Costa Rica's coffee industry is one of the best-organized industries in the world, with yields as high as 1,700 kg per hectare. Costa Rica has a population of only 3.5 million, but more than 400 million coffee trees, with coffee exports accounting for 25% of the country's total exports. Costa Rica's volcanic soil is very fertile and has good drainage.

Central Valley

Altitude: 1,200-1,600 meters. Harvest season: November to March. This region has three sub-regions: San José, Heredia, and Alajuela.

There are three high-altitude volcanoes in the region: Irazu, Barva, and Poas, which provide abundant nutrients to the surrounding coffee-growing areas. The excellent microclimate combined with the fertile soils of the Poás and Barva volcanoes gives beans from this region superior characteristics, such as chocolate and cocoa flavors, bright fruit acidity, and elegant aromas.

The Central Valley region was also the first area in Costa Rica where coffee was cultivated before the country's coffee industry expanded to other regions. With moderate rainfall, an average annual temperature of 19°C, and high altitude, the beans are hard, aromatic, smooth, highly acidic, full-bodied, and richly fragrant. This region is Costa Rica's earliest coffee cultivation area, with rich volcanic soil that sometimes imparts a chocolate aroma. The first stage is washed processing, followed by machine drying at low temperatures.

Costa Rica was the first country to use the honey processing method for green coffee beans. In Costa Rica, there are three major coffee-growing regions: Tarrazú, Central Valley, and Western Valley.

Las Lajas Estate is located in the Central Valley region at the foot of the Poás de Alajuela volcano. It has been operated by the Chacón family for over 80 years. The estate sits at an altitude of 1,300-1,500 meters with an annual production of about 46,000 kg. The harvest season at Las Lajas Estate runs from December to February. The estate owner insists on harvesting only fully ripe, red fruits, and mostly uses honey and natural processing methods to enhance the coffee's sweetness and body. The coffee is placed on African-style raised beds to ensure even sun exposure and avoid over-fermentation. The estate has also actively obtained international organic certifications, currently certified by USDA (USA), JAS (Japan), and NOP.

Las Lajas Estate (Finca Las Lajas) is located in Costa Rica's famous coffee-growing region, Central Valley, belonging to the Poás volcanic mountain range. Due to the local fertile soil and rich mineral content, it provides excellent conditions for high-quality coffee. The estate's distinguished reputation comes not only from its exceptional coffee quality but also from its commitment to organic ecological farming practices. It began introducing organic cultivation in 1990 and became Costa Rica's first coffee estate to obtain organic certification in 2000.

Currently, it is certified by three international organic organizations: USDA, JAS, and NOP. Oscar Chacon, the third-generation operator of the estate, stated that promoting organic certification not only posed great challenges in agricultural technology but also brought severe economic pressure due to sharply reduced yields. In the third year of implementation, the estate's annual production dropped to only 20% of its previous level. However, this did not affect their determination to promote organic farming. Staying away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides not only protects the environment for sustainable development but also safeguards the health of coffee farmers.

Innovative Natural Processing - Alma Negra

Las Lajas Estate uses honey and natural processing methods for all its green beans and has developed characteristics that distinguish it from other estates. Among honey-processed coffees, they are divided into three types based on the amount of mucilage retained: yellow honey, red honey, and black honey. Natural processed coffees are divided into two products based on different fermentation levels: Pearl Negra and Alma Negra. Pearl Negra has intense fruity fermentation flavors, while Alma Negra tends toward dried fruit and molasses tones. Both are among today's most fashionable natural processing methods, yet they offer two different styles!

The Alma Negra coffee beans are processed using the natural method.

Harvested red coffee cherries are placed on African raised beds in the early morning, turned regularly for sun exposure throughout the day, and then covered with plastic tarps in the shade until reaching a moisture content of 11.5%. The entire process takes about three weeks.

Green Bean Analysis

The Alma Negra coffee beans are of the common varieties Caturra and Catuai found in the Americas.

Caturra is a natural variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is smaller and more compact than Bourbon. Although it inherits Bourbon's lineage and therefore has relatively weak disease resistance, its yield is higher than Bourbon. Despite being discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing there, so it was not cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, such as in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai is a coffee variety that is an artificial hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has better resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain. The Catuai tree is relatively low-growing. Compared to other coffee trees, Catuai's fruits grow more firmly and are not easy to pick. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties.

The "Alma Negra" green beans are typically yellowish-green after natural processing, with a faint hawthorn-like acidic aroma.

Roasting Analysis

Roaster: Yangjia 800N semi-direct flame (300g batch size)

Preheat the roaster to 170°C before loading, with the damper set at 3. After 30 seconds, increase the heat to 140. The turnaround point occurs at 1'36" with a temperature of 101.6°C. At 140°C, keep the heat unchanged and open the damper to 4. At 5'15", the beans turn yellow, the grassy aroma disappears, and it enters the dehydration phase. Keep the heat unchanged and maintain the damper at 4.

Dehydration completes at 8'07", with wrinkles and black spots appearing on the bean surface. The toasted bread aroma transforms into coffee aroma, signaling the prelude to first crack. At this point, pay attention to listen for the first crack sound. First crack begins at 8'50", with the damper fully opened to 5 and heat unchanged. The development time after first crack is 1'55", with the beans discharged at 195°C.

Agrton bean color value is 70, Agrton pink value is 81.5, and Roast Delta value is 11.5.

Cupping notes: Fermented fruit aroma, floral notes, citrus, plum, fruit tea. Noticeable sweet and sour sensations, juicy texture, overall balance.

Brewing Recommendations

Recommended brewing method: Pour-over

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: BG 5R (58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing technique: 32g of water for 32-second bloom, then pour to 126g in stages. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 228g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Extraction time is 1 minute and 50 seconds.

Flavor: Aroma of faint fermented wine and almond. Entry presents sour notes of dark plum, citrus, and green apple. Dark chocolate and nutty flavors emerge in the middle section, with a light cane sugar sweetness in the finish. As the temperature cools, the entry has tropical fruit-like sweet and sour notes, with cream and honey-like sweetness in the middle section, and the aftertaste carries a fruit tea sensation.

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